And alfred b



UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH B. IVILSON, OF MALDEN, B'LXSSACHUSETTS. AND ALFRED B. CROSSMAN,OF HUNTINGTON, NEW' YORK.

MACHINE FOR DRESSING OR FINISI-IING BRICK AND TILE AFTER THE SAME HAVEBEEN MOLDED.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 2,271, dated September 30, 1841.

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Be it known that we, JOSEPH B. '\VILsoN, of Malden, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, and ALFRED B. Cnossnax, ofHuntington, Suffolk county, in the State of New York, have invented newand useful improvements in machinery for pressing or finishing bricks ortiles after the same have been molded or formed in the ordinarymolding-machines, and that the following is a full and exactdescriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichtaken in conn-ection herewith, form our specification.

In said specification we have set fort-h the principles of ourimprovements, by which they may be distinguished from others of a likecharacter, together with such parts or combinations of the same as weclaim and for which we solicit an exclusive property to be secured to asfor fourteen years by Letters Patent.

Figure 1, is a plan of one of our brick presses, with one particularkind of our improved molds fitted into it. Fig. 2, is a side elevationof the same on the right handed or working side. Fig. 3, is an elevationof the working end. Figs. d, 5, 6, 7, 8, are representations of partsdetached, which will be hereinafter referred to and explained.

The brick molds which have heretofore been in common use, were generallymade of cast iron a-nd formed in one piece or box, or with their `sidespermanently connected together; and as, generally speaking, in thematerial used in the manufacture of bricks or tiles` more or less sandor gravel is inter-mingled, the inner surfaces of the sides of the mold,would soon become worn by friction of the followers, and consequentlythe bricks would be increased in size and otherwise injured inproportion and appearance. One of our improvements is intended to remedythe above defects, by forming the sides of the mold of plates of chilledcastiron or other suitable material, and which may be taken apart andground as occasion requires, and adjusted together in such manner as toform a mold of the same capacity as originally made.

The working parts of our machinery are mounted and arranged on asuitable iron or wooden frame A, as seen in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

o, a, Figs. 1, 2, 3, is a gallows frame or pair of iron bars, disposedon each side of the main frame, near its rear end; each pair meeting attop as seen in Fig. 1, so as to form bearings b, o, Fig. 3, for a crossshaft o. A pair of bars d, d, depend from the cross shaft c at the topof the upright bars a, a., and meet in a knuckle joint CZ, in theextremity of a toggle piece e, see Fig. 1; the said toggle piece efinishing in a second joint and having the crooked lever B (by which themachine is operated), projecting from it as seen in Fig. 2.

In rear of the joint f, and making a part of it, a pair of bars g, g,Figs. 1, 2, diverge to the back and inside of the main frame, and areconnected to a cross shaft z, each end of which moves in a bearing oreye z', on the end of each of the main stay bolts 7c. r counterweight m,is applied to the end of an arm or tail piece Z, projecting from theshaft 72 the object of the same being to assist in elevating the leverB.

In front of the second joint 7L', a driver bar a jointed, or connectedby means of a circular ring or link 0, or in any other convenient andproper manner; the other end of the said bar being connected to the rearof the follower 1', the latter resting and being secured on the slidingcarriage board (y. In front of this two bolts s, s, Figs. 2, 4, comeupward on each side through the main frame A, and fianches or ends ofthe bed piece t of the mold; screws being cut on the tops of said bolts,upon which nuts are screwed for the purpose of conning the said bedplate of the mold to the main frame. Between each pair of bolts s. s. abolt v, Figs. 1, 2, d, is passed upward through the end or flanch of thebed plate t, until its head abuts against the underside of the mold. Theother or top ends of the bolts o, 1v, are inserted through the ends ofthe top plate fr of the mold, see Figs. l, 2, 4, and have screws andnuts on them, by which the plate m is confined down upon the end piecesor plates to, fw, of the mold. Each of the bolts o, e', has an eyenearly in the middle thereof, through which the side set screws u, u,are tapped to regulate the position of the end pieces zo, fw, of themold.

The back follower y, Figs. 1, 2, 5, G, 7, 8, situated in front of themold, is mounted on the vertical part of a kneed bar e, the horizontalpart of said kneed bar, resting on the sliding carriage board q, andbeing secured thereto by a screw or bolt a passing through a slot in thesame'. By means of the bolt and slot, the back follower may be soadjusted as to be carried into the mold, by the return of the carriageboard q,

when the lever B is raised, and also to be' forced out of the same bythe front follower, when the unpressed brick is entered, and the leverdepressed until the back followei stops against t-he press block C.

The press block C is secured on the ends of the bolts k, 7c, by thescrews and nuts a2, a2, and its vertical position is maintained by bedscrew bolts a3 a3, Figs. l, 2, 3, going downward into suitable nuts andmortises in the main frame.

The detached Figs. 7 and 8 represent the back follower made in two partsor plates y, z, between which a piece of bagging, a, soft leather, orother suitable Vmaterial, is to be inserted previous to the plates beingconfined together. This bagging being saturated with oil or other properunctuous matter, will lubricate the interior surfaces of the mold, asthe follower drives out the compressed brick. This not only lessens thewear and friction of the parts, but` prevents the sulphuric or othermineral acids in the coal which is mixed with the clay from destroyingthe metal of the mold, eX- perience having proved, that without thisapplication of the lubricator, a serious injury will result from boththe above causes.

Another method of constructing the mold is represented in Figs. 9 and10, 11, 12, the former being top view of it, as detached from the frame,the next a front elevation, the third a side elevation, and the latter,a longitudinal section.

It will be vperceived by inspection of these figures, that the mold isconstructed with a rectangular out-er frame or boX a, of cast iron, theends of which continue downward some distance below the bottom, formingprojections I), b, by which the mold is secured to the main frame of themachine by screw bolts. The interior of the mold is composed of fourplates of hard metal CZ, d, e, e, the top and bottom CZ, d, of which areadapted to each of the end plates e, e, at their oinings, by beinginserted inright angular shoulders c, c, c, c, cut in the end plates asrepresented in Figs. l0, 12. These plates, on being inserted in theouter frame, are held or pressed together by screws f, f, f, f, f, f,passing or screwed through the plates. The shelf upon which the brick isdeposited previous to being conveyed into the mold, is represented, atg, as projecting from the side of the frame, and having its top surfaceeven or level with that of the lower plate of the mold, and when thebrick is placed thereon, it is pushed laterally against a lip or guide7L, which is attached to the shelf and side of the frame, and has itsinner edge perpendicular to the shelf, or in the same plane with theinner surface of one of the end plates of the mold. Therefore, when thefollower advances upon the brick, it presses forward the same into themold without any obstructions. The bottom plate of the mold rests onthin pieces or blocks of metal i, z', Figs. l, 2, placed on the uppersurface of the bottom of the frame. As the lower plate is reduced in itsthickness by grinding, other blocks of greater thickness should besubstituted or placed under the same, so as to bring the upper surfaceof the lower plate of the mold in the same plane as the top of theshelf.

From the above it will be seen that when the end plates become worn,their distances apart may be diminished by filing out or deepening theirshoulders, or by grinding off the ends of the top and bottom pla-tes,when it becomes necessary to bring the end plates closer together. Byrefacing or grinding down the surfaces of the upper and lower plates,their correct distances apart may also be preserved. Vhen thus made andadjusted the machine is to be used as follows: The workman places theunpressed brick or tile between the front follower and the mold, or upona suitable shelf C, Figs. l, 2, attached to and projecting from thebottom t of the mold, and depresses the lever` B. This operation vforcesthe unpressed brick into the mold against the back follower y, whichlatter recedes through the mold until it abuts against the press blockC. The front follower still advancing completes the pressure on thebrick, and on being raised draws back the press follower r, until theouter end of the slot of the bar Z takes, or comes in contact with, thebolt a on the carriage board g. The motion continuing, the back followernow pushes the compressed brick entirely from the mold, so that it canbe removed therefrom and another substituted.

The general arrangement of the pressing part of this machine is similarto that of many others, but as the operation of the parts whichconstitute our improvement, will be better understood by the descriptionof the same above given, we have deemed it proper to enter into theabove explanation.

The top, bottom, and ends of the mold, represented in Fig. 4, being allconstructed of separate pieces of chilled cast-iron or hardened steel orother suitable material, when worn, can be taken apart, and ground andpolished so as to have the faces inside the mold kept true and smooth.This arrangement affords the means of contracting the length of the moldby moving its ends toward each other, and of diminishing the breadth ofthe same, by grinding down the parts of the ends, in contact with theinner surfaces of the top and bottom. Therefore by the above, the moldmay be adjusted to the size of the followers, whenever the latter arereduced by wear. This accurate adjustment of the parts prevents theedges and faces of the bricks from being injured by the escape of anyportion of the material from between the edges of the followers andsides of the molds, as an opening of the thickness of common letterpaper, would probably prevent the production of a well finish-edarticle.

Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 represent a machine constructed in some of itsfeatures substantially as above described, but in other respects it issomewhat different. The main peculiarity in this machine, by which itdiffers from that beforementioned, consists in the arrangement andconstruction of those parts, through which the power is applied whichproduces the impression. Fig. 13, is a top view of the machine. Fig. 14is a right handed side elevation. Fig. 15 is a longitudinal and verticalsection taken centrally through the apparat-us. Fig. 16 is an elevationof the working end, or that at which the brick maker stands when0perating the machine. Fig. 17 is an elevation of the opposite end.Throughout said figures from 13 to 17, inclusive, A represents the mainframework on which the operative parts are supported.

B, Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16, is the mold frame, C, Figs. 13, 14, 15, is thepressing follower or platen, and D is the back follower.

The lever E to which the operative applies his hand to drive the frontfollower forward is represented in Figs. 14, 16, 17, as horizontal,while in Figs. 13 and 15, it is shown in its upward or inclinedposition, or in that which it has when the brick is placed on the shelfof the mold, previous to its being impressed. The power, to throw theplaten or front follower C forward, is applied to the same through theintervention of the combined eccentrics F, G; to the former of which thelever is applied by the screw bolts A, A', Figs. 13, 14, 15. Theeccentric F is jointed to the follower C as seen at lo, Figs. 14, 15,while the other eccentric Gr is attached to the center of a stronghorizontal shaft H, whose journals rest and move in suitable boxes orbearings I, l, applied to the front sides of two of the ports of themain frame as seen in Figs. 13, 14. The two edges of the eccentrics,which are in opposition with each other, are composed in both, of twostraight surfaces e, f and g, It, Figs. 15, and two curved surfaces, ccl and t' c. At or near the point of junction of each these curved andstraight surfaces, a small curved projections on each eccentric entersinto a corresponding or suitable notch t forward in the oppositeeccentric, as seen in Fig. 15. vWhen the lever E is raised into itshighest position, the two straight surfaces c f, g it of each eccentric,are in contact with each other, as seen in Fig. 15, but when this leveris depressed, or brought downward toward a horizontal line, the twocurved edges c d, z' r, of the eccentrics are rolled upon each other.Each of the eccentrics has a segment u, u, (Fig. 14), of cogs or teeth,which engage with each other and enable the eccentric Gr to be raised ordepressed by its opposite F. The arms Z, m, a, connect the periphery ofthe eccentric Gr to the shaft H, while those of the other eccentric,viz, p, Q, 1, converge from the periphery and unite together near thatportion of the eccentric which is joined to the follower C, the wholebeing arranged as represented in Fig. 15. Now, when the arms m, Q', ofthe eccentrics, are raised so as to be brought into a straight line witheach other, the follower C has advanced forward a sufficient distance tointroduce the brick fairly into the mold, and in such manner that itrests against the face of the other follower, which in the meantime hasalso been moved back until it abuts against the bed piece, as was beforedescribed in the first description of the rst machine.

Now as the two curved surfaces c cl, a' la, of the eccentrics come incontact, the impression commences and continues as they roll over eachother and by means of these eccentrics the requisite degree of pressurewill be insured to the brick. Were we to use straight toggles, thisadvantage could not be gained, for when bricks are molded, according asthe clay is more or less tenacious, or contains more or less moisture,so when they are introduced into the pressing machine will they containmore or less earthy or argillaceous matter, and the surfaces will bemore or less covered with water galls and their edges more or lessimperfect and therefore it is easily apparent that according to thequantity of the same, in order to give a proper degree of pressure onevery brick (although they may slightly vary in thickness before andafter being pressed), it is necessary that the eccentrics used should beconstructed so as to admit the follower in all cases to be advanced asufficient distance forward, to so contract the brick, as not only toentirely remove the imperfections above named, but to densely compresstogether the particles composing the same. This desideratum everybrickmaker is aware is highly necessary. The distance from the point 7c,of the eccentric F, from the center of motion b should be greater thanthat of the point z' from the saine, so as to make an eccentric curve ofthe line 7c z' as seen in the drawing.

The line c (Z of the eccentric G, should be a similar curve, thedistance of its point c from the center of motion or axis of the shaft Hbeing greater than that of the point (Z. Thus it will be seen that bymeans of the eccentrics, the machine is at once adapted to give therequisite degree of pressure to bricks of different thickness or whichare more or less imperfect as above set forth. If one brick happens tobe thicker than the standard to which the machine is gaged on depressingthe lever E, the eccentrics will not rise so high as before, and theimpression will commence sooner; and thus the machine is adapted topress bricks varying in their thickness.

After the brick is impressed the sliding carriage board I, Figs. 13, 15,16, 17, is pressed back a short dist-ance, (or until the two arms g andZ of the eccentrics are brought into a straight line with each other),by a cam or wiper K, Fig. l5, acting against a perpendicular stud Lattached to the carriage board. The cam K is attached to, and projectsfrom, the shaft H, as seen in the drawings, so that when the eccentricGr is detached, thereby turning the shaft in its bearings, the cam Krises, and its surface in contact with the inner side of the stud L,presses back the stud, until another cam or curved arm M (projectingdownward from i the lower side of the shaft H or eccentric G as seen inFig. 15), comes in contact with another stud N, attached to the carriageboard, and which in its turn, causes the carriage board to recede as farback as necessary.

The wiper K should be so curved, on its edge which operates against theface of the stud L, as to give to the sliding carriage board such aretrograde movement as will keep the curved surfaces of the eccentricsin their true positions with respect to each other during their descentafter an impression has been given by them; or until the arms g and mare brought into a horizontal line with each other. The other wiper Mshould then commence its pressure against the stud N and the curve ofthe surface of the said wiper, acting against the stud, should be suchas will give to the carriage board such a back movement as will keep theprojections s in contact with the notches t during the further descentof the eccentrics.

The practical construction of these wipers will be easily understood bybuilders of brick machines. rEhe eccentrics may be inverted or turnedbottom up, and the lever may be attached to the forward instead of theback one, by which means a shorter lever will answer the purpose and theoperator may stand on the side of the machine if desirable. The mold maybe placed horizontally instead of vertically as above set forth with theeccentrics either above or below the same, thus forcing the brickdownward or upward into the mold; but as these are only changes of formof the same invention we merely mention them to show the different modesin which we have contemplated the' application of our improvements.

1n the above we shall claiml. Constructing the mold (independent of thefollowers), of separate pieces or plates of chilled cast iron, hardenedsteel or other suitable material, fitted to each other by shoulders, asdescribed, and arranged in a frame, and secured together by screws,passing through the sides of the frame, the same being represented inFigs. 9, 10, 11, 12, or arranged and confined together by screw bolts asexhibited in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and as hereinbefore explained, the wholebeing for the purpose of contracting the mold in its length or width andthus obviating at any time, whenever necessary and in manner above setforth, the difficulties resulting from t-he wear of the inner surface ofthe mold.

2. We also claim interposing a piece of cloth, felting o-r othersuitable material of like character, between the plates. composing theback follower, in manner above described; the cloth being, from time totime, saturated with any unctuous or fatty matter, the whole being forthe purpose of lubricating the interior of the mold as before set forth.

3. lVe also claim the machinery for producing the impression, andremoving the brick from the mold, the same consisting of the eccentricswith their cams or wipers as exhibited in Figs. 14 and 15, andconstructed arranged and operating together substantially in the manneras herein above explained.

In testimony that the foregoing is a true description of our saidinvention, we have hereto subscribed our names.

JOSEPH B. WILSON. ALFRED B. CROSSMAN.

lVitnesses to Joseph B. Vilsons signature:

R. H. EDDY, EZRA LINCOLN, Jr.

1V itnesses to Alfred B. Crossmans signature:

GEORGE S. PARTRIDGE, DAVID L. HALL.

